


even when I lose my head

by exhaustedwerewolf



Series: 30 Day Post Challenge [27]
Category: The Shapeshifter & Unleashed - Ali Sparkes
Genre: F/M, Hurt & Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, Post Unleashed, Pre Feather & Fang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 17:10:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8675767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exhaustedwerewolf/pseuds/exhaustedwerewolf
Summary: Lisa is having a bad night, and Dax does his best to distract her.





	

**Author's Note:**

> and if you have nightmares,   
> we'll dance on the bed-  
> I know that you love me, love me...
> 
> \- Guillotine, Jon Bellion

Their heads are bent close together. She whispers, entirely unnecessarily, so close to him that he can smell the berry sweetness of her lip gloss, that her hair brushes against his face.

"I don't know if it was a premonition or just a dream," she tells him, clutching a hand to her forehead. "I don't know, and they won't shut up, it's just noise."

She sounds miserable, but she isn't crying. Dax reaches out to place his hand over hers, knowing she is too accustomed to visions to cry about them, hating that thought.

"You can drown it out sometimes, can't you?" He asks. His eyes are doing that alien thing, like flash photography of animal eyes in darkness, but Lisa doesn't mind.

She nods; her unspoken _Yes_ , echoing in his mind like a single droplet of water. He slips fluidly from her hold, crossing the room to the battered CD Player that's almost out of bounds- but not quite on Mia's side of the room. Lisa doesn't want to watch him tread the fault line, see the traces of smiles behind him in the photos on the walls, the stick of incense, half burnt-

"Dax." She says, and then sends, _You'll wake someone up,_ to prevent having to raise her voice above a whisper.

"We won't," he says, his fingers graceful on the volume dial, turning it low, before flicking the stereo into life.

The sound is minuscule- if Lisa spoke, she wouldn't have been able to hear it over the sound of her own voice. But Dax smiles and turns to her.

"D'you remember that disastrous dance?"

Lisa makes a face.

"Of course I do. Mia blew up the bathrooms."

"They played this song."

Lisa has nothing to say to that, so she doesn't respond. Dax returns to the bed, sitting down by her side.

"I thought about asking you to dance." He admits, a little suddenly, and he actually manages to surprise her into laughter.

"What were you going to do that for?"

He grins, a wild grin, a Dax Jones grin, and runs his hand through his hair.

"I haven't the faintest. It just seemed like a thing I should do. I got too distracted, in the end."

"When don't we get distracted?" Lisa rolls her eyes, momentarily downcast. And an idea strikes her. With incredible dignity, she rises, right where she is, pure elegancy, and stretches a hand down to Dax.

"What?" He laughs a little, even as he takes her hand and allows her to pull him to his feet. Animal instincts or none, he almost falls, bare feet tangling in the sheets- she only just catches him.

"Apparently, you owe me a dance bird-brain."


End file.
